Six people were injured, including one listed in critical condition, after an accident involving a total of eight vehicles in Southwest Miami-Dade County in mid-January.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the accident occurred where Florida’s Turnpike meets Southwest 288th Street. Photos of the accident showed a fallen light pole, mangled vehicles and motorists who were left stranded near the pileup while they waited for the wreckage to be cleared. One person was taken to a local trauma center in critical condition, while five others went in for treatment at nearby hospitals for varying degrees of injuries.
Multivehicle pileups often tied to recklessness
On crowded freeways and highways, it is easy for a seemingly small collision to suddenly turn into a large pileup — and it often happens because of a single driver’s recklessness or negligence.
One driver rear-ending another vehicle at a high speed can cause a chain reaction, forcing that vehicle into another one in front or creating a sudden hazard that vehicles behind do not have a realistic chance of avoiding.
These accidents pose some challenges for investigators, who must be able to piece together exactly how it all happened to determine who was at fault. Not all drivers involved in the accident may have been able to see the initial collision or other actions that caused the pileup to occur. However, the same general principles of liability apply — all drivers are responsible for upholding their duty of care to others on the road.
For further guidance on your legal options after a multivehicle accident, speak with a skilled Manatee County auto accident lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.